Stay

Mia laughed, walked over to the couch, grabbed her warm-up pants and pulled them on over her skirt. “Let’s go.” She grabbed her backpack. Taking the bag from her hands, he carried it for her. He has lovely manners.

Alexi didn’t say another word until they reached the breakfast room, then he let loose a stream of Greek directed at Niko, far too fast for Mia to follow. In between sentences, he gestured at Mia.

On Mia’s plate rested a perfectly cooked omelet and slices of toast without the crust. What was that, a twenty-dollar breakfast? Looking from the plate over to Niko, her stomach clenched. Did it bother Niko that she’d just been taking from him and never even had said thank you? It was difficult to swallow the juice past the lump in her throat. Dicing up the omelet on her plate, she shoved it around under the toast so it appeared somewhat eaten.

Niko listened to Alexi then addressed Hope. “Do you let Mia wear that?”

Mia’s jaw dropped, and she put her fork down. Really? They’re going to debate the high school’s cheer uniform? Hope glanced from her sketchpad to Mia then touched her ponytail. “She looks cute.”

Alexi insistently spoke more Greek to Niko.

“OMG.” Mia zipped on a jacket. She liked that Alexi cared, but this ‘what’s appropriate for Mia to wear’ conversation was crazy. She was wearing a school-sanctioned uniform. The day she’d let a guy determine her clothes was the day she bought herself a ticket to the get-a-backbone doctor.

“You will wear that all day?” Alexi asked, his accent apparent.

Mia sat back in her chair, drank her juice, and looked at him, but didn’t respond. She’d indulge Niko’s sense of modesty, but she wasn’t taking it from someone her own age.

Alexi must have read her expression correctly because he turned to Niko. “Mia set up a plan to help Americanize me.”

Choking a little on the pulp and his words, Mia sat her glass of orange juice down. Dirty pool. Alexi could be sneaky to get his own way. There was no way she wanted to explain that poster to Hope or, heaven forbid, Niko.

“Hmm,” Niko said, his attention on his papers.

Alexi reached for his phone, and she knew he was about to pull up the photo of the poster.

“All day, Alexi,” she said, thinking not a chance. Mia laced her fingers together and stretched them over her head. Time to go. She stood and said “Bye” to the table.

Vincent pulled the car up to the front door. Mia gave him a little wave. She thought the limo would get old or embarrassing after a while, but nope. She was going to mis

s it. She passed the limo then called back to Alexi, “I’ll take my car. I have practice after school.” Mia opened the garage door in front of her red car. Choosing Trallwyn High red may not have been the best idea now that the school colors had changed to purple and yellow. But she was not driving a purple and yellow car.

“I’m too tall for that.” Alexi eyed her car with a frown, turned, and strolled back to the limo. Did he expect her to follow? Snob. She tossed her backpack onto the passenger seat before sliding into the driver’s side to start her car. Warm air surrounded her like a blanket. She cranked on the air conditioner.

Alexi leaned on the open door of the limo, as if she’d change her mind and get in.

Mia waved. “See you at school.” She drove away.

The jacket’s polyester collar scratched at her neck. Her uniform top was scratchy enough, without the polyester jacket closing it off from all air. She shrugged off the jacket. It was such a short trip to school that the car barely cooled off, but driving herself to school felt normal. Everything will be fine. I can drive my own car, and I can buy some groceries to make lunch. I just need to talk to Hope about room costs and find out how much Mom and Dad left to take care of things. Done. Problem solved.

***

It was pizza day. Oregano overlaid yesterday’s fried food smell in the cafeteria. Alexi frowned in disgust as students used napkins to soak up the top layer of grease prior to eating their slices. He unfolded his thin napkin and laid it across his pizza. The yellow grease saturated the one-ply instantly. “The Italians should see this. Kristnaldo must be weeping.”

Mia snickered.

He raised the napkin, but it was so weighed down by the grease it ripped and curled toward a small pool of remaining oil. After shoving his tray away, he looked at Mia. She gave him half her sandwich and pointed her bag of chips his way. “You have to leave it folded double, or it can’t take the oil’s weight.” Next she liberated pudding from her bag. “Yum. Chocolate.” After peeling off the lid, she dipped her finger in and waved it at him. “Sorry, can’t cut pudding in half.”

He reached over and placed her finger in his mouth.

Chapter 11

Holy cow. Mia’s eyes cast downward, and her mouth parted. Wet. Warm. Wow.

“Mouth off the other students, Mr. Ariastassios,” a passing teacher said.

Not one for public displays, Alexi pulled back quickly. “Where are the clearers?”

“You’ve asked that before, and the answer remains the same.” Mia pointed to the tray return alcove.